Chapter 6 ∙ Literary Terms
Types of Prose Texts
- Bildungsroman: This is typically a type of novel that depicts an individual’s coming-of-age through self-discovery and personal knowledge. Such stories often explore the protagonists’ psychological and moral development. Examples include Dickens’ Great Expectations and Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
- Epistolary: A novel comprised primarily of letters sent and received by its principal characters. This type of novel was particularly popular during the eighteenth century.
- Essay: According to Baldick, “a short written composition in prose that discusses a subject or proposes an argument without claiming to be a complete or thorough exposition” (Baldick 87). A notable example of the essay form is Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” which uses satire to discuss eighteenth-century economic and social concerns in Ireland.
- Novella: An intermediate-length (between a novel and a short story) fictional narrative.